A Neural Approach to Adaptive Behavior and Multi-Sensor Action Selection in a Mobile Device

Sampling multisensory information and taking the appropriate motor action is critical for a biological organism’s survival, but a difficult task for robots. We present a Neurally Organized Mobile Adaptive Device (NOMAD), whose behavior is controlled by a simulated nervous system based on the anatomy and physiology of the vertebrate brain, that is capable of action selection in a real world environment. NOMAD’s nervous system consists of an auditory system, a visual system, a taste system, sets of motor neurons capable of triggering behavior, a tracking system driven by visual stimuli, and a value system. The device itself, which moves autonomously, has a CCD camera for vision, microphones for hearing, and a gripper manipulator to pick up and taste objects by measuring the object’s conductivity. Similar to a biological organism, NOMAD learns to categorize sensory information from its environment with no prior instruction, associate positive and negative value with this sensory inf...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2002
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Jeffrey L. Krichmar, James A. Snook
• Keywords: Appropriate Motor Actions, Biological Organism, ICRA 2002, Nervous System, Robotics